Ontario began to ease public health measures on March 9, 2022 and had planned to lift remaining measures on April 27th. However, the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) recently announced that Ontario will maintain the current measures, directives and orders until June 11, 2022.

These extended orders include provincial masking requirements in:

See the complete list of settings where masking requirements continue to apply.

The CMOH Directives currently in effect will also continue until June 11, 2022. The Ministry will issue guidance on personal protective equipment recommendations for infection prevention and control in health care settings for after these directives are lifted.

Occupational therapists are encouraged to monitor information from their local public health units for region specific updates.

Please continue to check the College and Ministry of Health websites for the latest updates.

If you have any questions, please contact our Practice Resource Service at 1.800.890.6570 ext. 240 or practice@coto.org.

Prepare to share your views on the proposed changes to the Standards for Practice!

Over the last 14 months, the College has been updating and streamlining the Standards for Practice. Consultation with committees and subject matter panels about the proposed changes is complete and the Board has approved the proposed Standards for Practice (now combined into one document) for public consultation.

The purpose of the consultation is to give registrants, the public, and other stakeholders the opportunity to provide input about the proposed new document. This feedback will be used to finalize the Standards before being approved by the Board.

Changes proposed in the Standards include:

Watch for an email notice about the launch of this consultation later this spring!

Reminder: Occupational therapists are required to renew by May 31, 2022.

Amanda is an independent assessor for an insurance company and receives a referral for an attendant care assessment for Michael. During the assessment, Amanda has Michael do a variety of activities and makes notes on her laptop after each activity.

When the assessment is done, Michael asks about the outcome. Amanda explains she has not finished the report yet. She does not want him to worry though, so she states “You have nothing to worry about” and leaves.

Amanda later compiles a thorough and detailed report from her notes and sends it off to the insurance company. She realizes that what she is recommending is less than what Michael wants, but it is in her professional opinion what he needs.

The insurance company makes a determination based on her report and when Michael is informed of the outcome, he is extremely upset and files a complaint with the College...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month.

Did you know? Health care workers from anywhere across Ontario can access services by going directly to a partner organization or via the COVID-19: Support for People page. You can find resources for self-led support; support with peers; and confidential support from a clinician, including iCBT and more.

Visit COVID-19: Support for People to find more information about many publicly available and confidential mental health and addictions services and supports.

The Ministry of Health requires all health regulatory Colleges to report on how well they are executing their mandate to act in the public interest. This report is called the College Performance Measurement Framework.

For the 2021 report, we are happy to note the College met 47/50 measures, partially met 2 measures, and only had 1 measure it did not meet. You can read the 2021 report on our website.

Thank you to everyone who attended our webinar on our new resource "Culture, Equity, & Justice in Occupational Therapy Practice." If you could not attend the webinar, a recording and related Q&As will be made available at a later date.

After you have reviewed the resource, please complete our survey and share your thoughts and suggestions. It's important to us to continue to revise, update, and improve this information.

The College recently shared its new Culture, Equity, and Justice in Occupational Therapy Practice resource and the new Competencies for Occupational Therapists in Canada, which are coming into effect later this year.

Thank you for participating in our poll! We encourage you to take some time to review the new documents and contact the College at practice@coto.org with any questions.

We appreciate your feedback and welcome comments at any time.

Last month we asked you: The College welcomes registrant input to consultations and surveys. When do you participate?

26.4% said "If applicable to my practice."

11.8% said "If I have time."

14.5% said "If I feel strongly about the topic."

and 47.3% of respondents said "All of the above."

Our consultation for the new streamlined Standards for Practice will be launching soon. We hope that registrants will share their thoughts and feedback with us on this important project.

Do you know someone who would like to be added to our mailing list?

They can sign up here. Have additional comments or suggestions for the College email news? Send your thoughts to communicatons@coto.org.